02 August 2023 , 19:50
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Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke became emotional on ITV's Life Stories as he reflected on his friendship with former head judge Len Goodman, who died earlier this year after being diagnosed with bone cancer.
Speaking to Kate Garraway, Anton revealed Len was the only person he spoke to for advice when he was offered the role of judge on Strictly.
He said: "Well they asked me to judge and I spoke to Len about it, I didn't speak to anyone else, I only spoke to Len, and I said to him..."
Choking up, Anton paused as tears filled his eyes before continuing: "I feel like Len and I shared the journey of Strictly Come Dancing together because I've known Len for 45 years and he had this great dance school in Dartford and I'm from Sevenoaks and I knew all about it."
Len's wife Sue Goodman was in the audience and could be seen in tears as Anton spoke about his friendship with her later husband.
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Anton became emotional when talking about Len"I spoke to Len and it was immediately clear in five seconds. He said to me, 'Be yourself and say what you see.' That's it. I didn't try to be Len, I didn't try to be some great judge."
"It's important for me to say what the people at home can see, because that's what Len did."
Len and Anton both began on Strictly Come dancing when the series first premiered in 2004. The head judge's final appearance on the show was on the 2016 Christmas Day special.
He died in a hospice in April just three days before his 79th birthday after becoming ill with bone cancer.
Elsewhere in the interview, Anton opened up on what it was like first appearing on BBC's Strictly.
He told Kate: “I realised immediately when we started Strictly two things, one this is not about me and two I’m going to have to be myself because we had the microphone on the entire time and the cameras there the whole time. I’m just going to be myself I’m not going to try and be something suave.”